William A. Brewer III

William A. Brewer III (born ) He is a founding partner of Bickel & Brewer, a litigation firm he co-founded in Dallas, Texas in 1984, which is now known as Brewer, Attorneys & Counselors. In the 1980s, Brewer became known for an aggressive style of litigation. Brewer opposed the city of Farmers Branch, Texas on its immigration ordinance for seven years, ultimately resulting in the ordinance being found unconstitutional, and led a series of successful challenges to voting rights laws in Texas. Brewer has served as legal counsel for the National Rifle Association

Early life and education

Brewer was born and raised in Long Island, New York, in a large Irish-Italian family. He attended St. John's University, where he majored in drama. Brewer graduated from Albany Law School in 1977 and from New York University School of Law in 1978

Career

In 1978, Brewer began his career in the legal department By 1998, Brewer and Bickel had opened satellite offices in New York, Chicago, and Washington D.C.

By 2011, Brewer had represented hospitality groups in high-profile cases against management companies including Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts

In 2013, Brewer challenged violations of voting rights in several Texas school districts and city councils, where he argued that Black and Hispanic residents weren’t fairly represented. The Texas Tribune reported in 2018 that Brewer and his firm had prevailed in multiple voting rights challenges. Brewer was supported by CEO Wayne LaPierre, but concerns over Brewer’s fees caused an internal feud, which ultimately led to the resignation of NRA president Oliver North and other top officials.

In 2007, Brewer brought a federal lawsuit against the city of Farmers Branch, Texas to challenge an ordinance banning rental housing for immigrants who couldn’t prove their legal status. Brewer opposed the city of Farmers Branch on its immigration ordinance for seven years, ultimately resulting in the ordinance being found unconstitutional. the resulting U.S. District Court ruling compelled the city to change its election system in order to give Hispanic residents more proportional representation.

In 2017, Brewer represented David Tyson, the only person of color ever to serve on the board of Richardson Independent School District, in a voting rights lawsuit claiming the district’s at-large electoral system prevented Black and Hispanic residents from having a fair say in school board elections; subsequent negotiations resulted in Richardson’s school district adopting a hybrid system that included five single-member districts.

Brewer represented 3M when it was sued by the state of Minnesota for $5 billion over claims the company had contaminated groundwater through the dumping of PFCs and withheld information about the potential harm of the chemicals from regulators.

In 2018, Brewer was retained by the National Rifle Association to advise the organization after New York state officials challenged the legality of its “Carry Guard” insurance, which protected gun owners in cases of self-defense. Brewer represented the N.R.A. in the ensuing case, National Rifle Association of America v. Vullo, in which the justices ruled unanimously in favor of allowing the N.R.A. to pursue allegations that a New York state regulator had violated the organization’s First Amendment rights by discouraging private entities from doing business with it.

Representation of the National Rifle Association

Brewer's firm began representing the National Rifle Association (NRA) in 2018, during a period in which the organization faced legal and regulatory challenges. Brewer subsequently became a prominent and controversial adviser to NRA chief executive Wayne LaPierre, advising him on legal strategy, management and public relations. The Washington Post and The Texas Tribune subsequently reported that the firm's fees had routinely exceeded $1.5 million per month beginning in March 2018.

The fees became an issue during an internal leadership dispute involving LaPierre and NRA president Oliver North. In February 2019, North and NRA vice presidents Richard Childress and Carolyn Meadows asked LaPierre to suspend payments to Brewer's firm until its retainer agreement and invoices could be reviewed. North and Childress later wrote to NRA officials that the Brewer invoices were consuming the organization's cash at what they described as a "mindboggling speed." LaPierre defended Brewer and his firm, saying that their fees were appropriate and that their work was helping the organization address legal and regulatory threats.

Brewer also played a role in the NRA's dispute with its longtime advertising agency, Ackerman McQueen. In April 2019, Brewer filed suit on behalf of the NRA against the agency, seeking information about its expenditures under its contract with the organization. Ackerman McQueen, which was led by members of Brewer's extended family, including his father-in-law, accused Brewer of pursuing the litigation to increase his influence within the NRA. Brewer rejected the allegation and said the NRA had sought financial information from multiple vendors as part of an effort to improve oversight.

Former NRA treasury employee Emily Cummins separately alleged in 2019 that Brewer had interfered with efforts by the organization's accounting staff to examine its financial practices and had pressured employees who questioned his firm's invoices. ProPublica reported that former Brewer employees and correspondence it reviewed provided support for portions of Cummins's account. Brewer's firm disputed her allegations and said that its work for the NRA was justified and of high quality.

The disputes over Brewer's fees and role became part of a broader conflict within the NRA's leadership. The Washington Post and The Texas Tribune reported that Brewer had become one of LaPierre's principal advisers and that former NRA officials and contractors accused him of helping consolidate LaPierre's position within the organization. Brewer rejected those accusations, saying that criticism of his firm intensified after it began examining financial relationships involving individuals who subsequently became critics of the firm's work.